Do you have a license for that thing?

Stinkerbelle got a little doll stroller for her first birthday and now she loves putting her favorite "doll" in it. Baby M thinks it's pretty cool too although the is VERY glad that The Mom and Lovie keep a close eye on where they go. Stinkerbelle isn't the best driver.

Parker Polar Bear Club

Many of you know the craziness of my husband, whom I refer to as "Lovie" on this blog. He keeps me laughing and sometimes can shock me with his silliness. He did it again.

We had a water main break in our town and so we had a couple of days where we'd have little or no water for a few hours during the day for repairs. On Thursday, Lovie was shaving and showering and only got the first part done (the shaving) before the water pressure went to a trickle. He still needed to shower.

"I'm going to jump in the pool."

"Are you serious? Hold on, let me get the camera."

(Notice my concern for him jumping in the pool when we've been having below freezing weather.)

He jumped in and jumped out about as fast as someone his size could move. We don't have a thermometer for the water but it had to be in the 40s. Brrr!! He said it made his heart hurt when he hit the water.

Did I jump in to? Uh, no. I'll just be stinky, thankyouverymuch. For now, Lovie is the only member of the Parker Polar Bear Club.

It's been a LOOONG three months. We officially started construction on October 8 and I wish I could say that we are finished. We are close. What's left?

Countertops:
They come for measurements on Tuesday. Once they do that, it's about 2-3 weeks before installation. We went and picked out our slabs over the holiday break. This is what we've selected for the island. For the countertops along the walls, we selected "Ubatuba", partially because it's just fun to say. Try it. Ewww bah too bah. :)

Electrical:
This is mostly done. Mostly. Our electrician/neighbor has been out of town helping his parents move so now that he is back, we have high expectations that he'll quit slacking and finish our project. Clearly he needs help with prioritization. The stove needs wiring and we need some plugs on the island.

Backsplash Tile: Once the countertops are in, the tile guy can install our backsplash. We have the materials, just need the countertops.

Plumbing finish: Once all this other stuff is done, we can have the plumber come back to install the garbage disposal and the faucets and the pot filler.

There's some other minor stuff, like the cabinet drawer hardware and the pantry shelves that need to be finished, but those are minor.

(Note: pictures posted soon. technical difficulties.)

Intoducing: The Playroom

The playroom is finished! We actually got it done on Dec 26th, just in time for our family gathering that we hosted. Stinkerbelle loves it! She is able to destroy it and the mess doesn't spill in to the living room. It's been a major stress reduction in the Parker household to have all her crap, er, playthings semi-contained.

Here is a progression:

1. Drywall and cement. Fun, but kinda bland.












2. Tile floor!













3. Paint on the walls...it's starting to look girly!












4. It's ready for little girls!

The sinks are here! They're really here! And we love them!

They were worth the wait. The granite people come on Monday to do measurements and then we get to go to their warehouse to pick out our slabs. We'll probably take the little sink with us so we can visualize the colors and how it will all come together.

Here are the cabinets - pre-finish. We have LOTS of drawers. 26 to be exact. I know because we had to haul them all outside to be sanded and finished.

Here they are with their first 3 coats of lacquer plus some sanding. Now they're ready for their last 3 coats. I will have to post some more pictures later because now all of the cabinets are covered so that the walls can be primed.

Progress is good.

One if by land, two if by burro?

Here's a quick update on the kitchen.

We've been (im)patiently waiting to hear something about our sinks. We ordered beautiful (we hope) custom hammered copper sinks for the kitchen. We ordered them online. From an eBay store. In Mexico.

Yes, really.

The company's eBay store has their standard copper sink, which we liked. But then we decided it would be better if it had a place for towels...and was a little deeper. So we emailed them and they made ours special. We didn't know that special would also mean SLOW. Maybe we were in denial. Over a month ago, we ordered and paid for them. About 2 weeks ago I started wondering if there was a guy in Mexico having a little "I love American suckers" fiesta in our honor. Were we ever going to get our sinks?!?

The good news is that the sinks are supposed to arrive today. I am so excited to see them I can hardly type.

There's been some other stuff done in the kitchen. Doors hung, cabinets finished, trim, blah blah blah. The SINKS are coming! Wohoooo!!

A little shopping trip for Mom

My neighbor, Tracy, and I went to Canton for a little shopping adventure. (for those of you not blessed to be in the area, Canton is like the BIGGEST flea market shopping adventure...ever.) It's only once per month and I typically space out and miss it. It's about an hour and a half drive from my house but so. totally. worth. it.

We didn't buy a lot of stuff. I think my favorite purchase was the hair bows I got for the girls. Let me tell you that hair bows are freakishly expensive. Like $3 for a bow. Well, at one of the booths, they had them for $0.75 so I bought a bunch. However, now I'm wishing I had bought more. Ah well, I suppose I'll have to go back again.

Here's Stinkerbelle modeling the bows...can't you tell she was thrilled.